Letter: Reconsider the suspension of the elementary MAT program

After reading Polly Ulichny’s March 11 op-ed “Brown’s elementary MAT program gets it right”, it is difficult to understand the administration’s thinking in choosing to suspend a program that has met with such amazing success. Did they actually review the data? Have they ever visited The Learning Community to observe the incredible teacher energy and impressive student participation?

As a financial supporter of The Learning Community and a variety of educational programs in my home state of California, I think the Rhode Island program stands at the top. After several personal site visits both in California and Rhode Island, I found that there are no comparable local charter programs producing such excellent scholastic and social outcomes. Has the University really carefully evaluated the data included in Ulichny’s letter? Most readers cannot help but realize the seminal role Brown played initially, providing many of the teachers who make these results possible. It is inexplicable that the University would now back away from such a great success.